Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
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Wednesday, November 3, 2021
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Volume 61 • Issue 42
Shooting by Thompson RCMP officer ‘could have been done differently,’ says family of man shot Oct. 25 BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
the shot had other options. “We feel that the shooting of Ray could have been done differently. There were other measures that could have been put in place to de-escalate the situation. The RCMP officer could have used nonviolent intervention strategies to de-escalate the situation by remaining calm and by using his voice.” The family also disputed the RCMP’s claim that Little Ray was armed when a police officer encountered him while delivering legal documents. “In the media and other platforms, there are allegations of Little Ray having a knife,” Iskwew said. “However, after reviewing the video, we see no evidence of a weapon in Little Ray’s possession.” Little Ray, 30, the father of five children, was in stable condition Oct. 27 after a four-hour surgery and was brought down to the Thompson General Hospital lobby that morning to see his two mothers. A statement from the family sent out by Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) said Little Ray is a talented construction worker who loves to sing and play guitar and would
ley Ducharme, who is also MKO’s vice-chief, said she was saddened and concerned when she saw the disturbing footage of Little Ray being shot. “MKO First Nations work closely and have an ongoing relationship with the RCMP,” Ducharme said. “We will continue to work closely with them as we move towards reconciliation. We also stand with the family and MKO citizens who are impacted by this incident.” Iskwew said this is not the first time her family has been failed by the justice system, as no one was held accountable for the killing of her brother Brendon Moose. The family urges anyone with information about the shooting to contact Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba senior investigator Craig Gerstmar at 1-431-374-9115, 1-204-948-7008 or craig. gerstmar@iiumanitoba.ca. They also said they were disappointed not to have heard anything from the RCMP. “It is extremely hurtful that there is no reassurance from the RCMP,” read their statement.
Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
The family of a man shot by a Thompson RCMP officer on Oct. 25 said during an online press conference on Wednesday that they need people who saw the incident to talk to the agency investigating the shooting. “Your interpretation of what you’ve seen matters,” said family spokesperson Kikiwani Mikisew Iskwew, a resident of O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation at South Indian Lake and sister of the 30-year-old man who was shot shortly before 3 pm. Oct. 25 identified only as Little Ray. “Today your voice matters. We cannot remain silent or our relatives will continue to be mistreated by the systemic violence against Indigenous people of this land. When you speak you become the voice of a relative that did not survive police brutally or the legitimized murder of Colten Boushie and all of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and men and so many more that did not survive to tell their story.” Iskwew said seeing the video of Little Ray being shot was traumatizing for the family and that they believe the officer who fired
Thompson Citizen photo courtesy fo Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Family members of Little Ray, the 30-year-old man who was shot by a Thompson RCMP officer on Princeton Drive Oct. 25, outside Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak’s Thompson office Oct. 27 alongside O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation Chief Shirley Ducharme and members of the First Nation’s council. give the shirt off his back to someone in need. “He is in good spirits, grateful to be here and he sends his love to all his family and friends and says thank you for the prayers,”
Iskwew said. Roger Moose, Little Ray’s uncle, who gave an opening prayer prior the press conference filmed at MKO’s Thompson office, told Iskwew that the offi-
cer who shot him could not claim self-defence and that something must be done to hold the police officer accountable. O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation Chief Shir-
Police watchdog announces investigation into Thompson shooting, looking for video footage and witnesses treatment of serious injuries couple of years after it was after being shot by a Thomp- formed, 13 of them relatManitoba’s police watch- son RCMP officer around ing to incidents in Winnidog announced via press 2:45 p.m.. peg. Based on information Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham release Oct. 26 that itofisManitoba inThe IIU director is not releasing from has the written agency’s website, Addictions Foundation northern Gisele deMeulles a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. vestigating the shooting of a further details at this time it appears former Thompson Thompson man by an RCMP to and looking Abram LetBY IAN GRAHAM For all the harsh weather writeisthings thatfor youwitnesses, have ‘Oh, RCMP I’m just officer as bad, right?’ was not a very safe thing swallow when people say officer the previous day.. footage and any keman, who was and found to notdo but I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET I have all these stories to video figure out. It’s pretty clearother The Independent information to assist their inguilty of manslaughter the Though she’s nowInvestigawritten when I get through.” I need to capture them for inthought that was exciting should just find somewhere bears, deMeulles said if it tion Unit of Manitoba (IIU), vestigation. Anyone who saw 2015 shooting of Steven a book about her experienDeMeulles said she wrote my fatal grandchildren really until the plane landed and easier to live. had been viable she would which looksupinto serious al- herthe shooting has video it Campbell, is the onlyifofficer ces growing in Churchill, book, titled or Whispers in of because they will be lost they started throwing the “To say, ‘Those people have moved back to Churchlegations involving on- of and theorWind: other information asked in the province charged after Addictions Foundation Stories from is the I don’t.” fuel off and I realized, ‘Holy choose to live there.Thompson They illCitizen in a heartbeat. photo by Ian Graham off-duty police officers in the North to call the IIU toll-free shooting since cats, the I was Manitoba northern director - Life in Churchill for at She also hassomeone a reputation probably sitting shouldajust is quite “I missRCMP the shoreline, An RCMP officer near where manleave,’ was shot by a Thompson officer Oct.I province, said it was 1-844-667-6060. was established Gisele deMeulles saidnotified writ- a couple of reasons. as a IIU storyteller herself. in 2015. on a bomb.’” simplistic. It’s quite disre- miss the rock, I miss the 25. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU), which looks into serious Oct.wasn’t 25 of the incident, which IIU of hasthought, issued re- “I Another was charged ing something she “I The just sort had suchofficer a varied hisAnother thing that spectful. If we were in the polar bears even though allegations involving on- and off-duty police officers in the province, announced resulted in a 30-year-old man you ports on 16 police a gun in an incialways thought she would know what, thisshootings his- tory for andshooting I would tell people spurred her on was the same boat in another area they’re very dangerous and Oct.facing 26 that it is conducting probe of the shootingI and looking being taken to hospital for tory, in this Manitoba sincein2017, a dent in which no one was hard hit. times do. stuff that’s my stories Churchill I thinka we would scream really missfor thewitnesses Hudson and they would go, and video footage. “In my youth I never head, it’s going to be gone ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’d go, since the Hudson Bay Rail- about that so why don’t they Bay,” she says. “When I go BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
felt good at writing,” she said. “But when I moved to Thompson to get into the school of social work, at that point I had to write for university and realized, ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, right?’ I certainly developed a lot of skill in university and came out of there with a very strong skill in my writing and confidence in my writing. I write very clear and that’s it. It’s there. Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
if I don’t write it down,” she ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, way suspended operations said. “My kids are not go- ‘You didn’t do all that, did north of Gillam last spring. ing to get it if I don’t do it you? You’ve got to be really “It used to be a really and it’s something I’ve al- old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually thriving large community ways wanted my mom to I did all that before I was and it’s just dwindled down do. My mom’s an elder and 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” to such a small population Contact she’s an artist,Nelson she’s got so at 204-307-0281 Looking back, some of now,” deMeulles says. many wonderful stories be- those experiences are things Though she’s not there pruderspropertyservices@gmail.com cause she always tells her she might not do again. any longer, her parents and stories at Parks Canada in “I did some pretty bizarre her sister and other family to discuss your property needs! Churchill and I’ve always stuff like fuel hauls into the members still are. hounded her, ‘Please, just high Arctic at -35,” said “My cousin owns the put it on tape, I will write it deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn hardware store there,” she for you because your story on me until after. That was a says. is going to be lost,’ and she’s very dangerous thing to do. Because of that, never done it and I thought, Being on a plane full of fuel deMeulles finds it hard to
Yer snow gotta go!
have the option to do that? I think right now they’re feeling like they’re pawns in a political game and that’s really sad for them because I think the people of Churchill really want to thrive. They’ve built their worlds there. How would we feel if someone came to you and said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to leave your home community and we’re going to displace you somewhere else and all your loved ones and your history is gone?’”
back home, standing on the Hudson Bay looking out on the bay, it just gives you an incredible sense. You feel so small and you feel great.” Now that she’s got one book under her belt, deMeulles says she may try to produce another. “I have another book in me,” she says. “It’s a darker story, more about personal growth and struggles. Maybe in the next five years it’s something I’ll focus on doing.”